What If I Said
by green.pepsi.cola
Summary: Kathryn is hiding something from her friends all except for Jay and Stacy. She's uncertain what she's going to do about her problem. Once again, horrid at summaries. Destined to be short.
1. If Tomorrow Never Comes

DISCLAIMER: Lords of Dogtown characters don't belong to me

DISCLAIMER: Lords of Dogtown characters don't belong to me. I do, however, own Kathryn, Shoe, Racecar, their parents, and Jackson.

(**A/N**: This was to be a short story but then I guess it just blossomed into a full-on story so it'll probably be short by the time I'm done with it. This was just to clear my writer's block for my other story and then I guess it got a bit out of hand.)

**What If I Said**

_Chapter 1: Kiss and Tell_

My mind is screaming a thousand warnings at me, firing them one after another. "Kiss her, kiss her…" Every single one of our friends chant, crowded around us. His hand is on the small of my back supporting me, holding me up. My mind is screaming NO, DON'T, this isn't good, this is wrong, stop, stop, stop… His lips are on mine. I'm kissing back. NOOOOOOOOOOOO, what if he finds out dummy you'll be murdered, you're not allowed to date, you idiot… My hands are tangled in his hair. He smells of the ocean, Dial soap, and peppermint with a tinge of smoke. His hair is so long and so very blonde and his lips are so soft and his kiss is so gentle and insistent and I'm losing myself… his tongue is touching my bottom lip, silently begging me, now it's in my mouth, the crowd is cheering, everything's a blur… you idiot you're gonna be killed your father will find out and he'll murder you, he'll know about this, he'll go after Stacy… my mind is past turning back, I can't escape this, I don't want to… oh but I must, I must! I want to live; I haven't seen the world yet like I planned! My mind shuts up and I just mindlessly kiss him before my sanity comes back and we have to stop for the sake of oxygen deprivation.

My eyes pop open, he's looking at me for a reaction. His sea-blue turquoise eyes are laughing and dancing and we're both smiling and Jay's hugging me from behind like he has done since we were six and my father hit me for the first time… "Oh shit he's going to murder me in my own blood." I mumble, panicking. I look around frantically for him, but he's nowhere in sight. I'm relieved but now I've got another problem. Two problems, I realize, putting my hand over my stomach. As much as I hate baggy clothes, I sure am wearing a lot of them these days. Here it comes, now you've done it… the questions, always with the never-ending questions. "Who's gonna murder you? It's your life." Jay is saying. He doesn't understand. "My FATHER." I shout, and he turns his head to look at me better. Tears cloud my eyes and I try to hold them back but no luck with that, just another thing wrong with my life.

"I gotta get outta here." I'm breaking away from both of them, clutching my stomach again. I've told Jay my situation just recently, but only him, and 'cause he threatened to beat it out of me. I'm pushing through the crowd and Jay is tailing me. I'm looking back and Stacy's just standing there dumbstruck. I'm having a hell of a time wading through these idiots. "Move, move, chick with a kid coming through." I smack my forehead at this. "Damnit Jay, you nitwit!" I shout. "Whoops. Slipped." I whack him upside the head with the back of my hand, everyone's moving out of my way now like I'm some kind of bloody plague. "Quit gawking!" I screech at my seemingly innocent and bewildered friends, storming off. "Kitty I'm real sorry it did slip." I'm turning the corner, but I stop. "Enough things have slipped from you, haven't they?" I say, but I contradict myself by hugging him. "At least I didn't have to tell everyone." He's petting my head awkwardly. "Jay Adams, if you weren't my best friend since I was born I'd be tempted to hurt you." I whisper into his ear and he grins, used to my multiple threats I use so often. He picks me up like a toddler, (don't worry it's a habit he does it all the time) brushing my tears away. "Why am I friends with you again?" I joke. "I know too much."

What he says is true. He knows about my father and the baby and how I like Stacy and about a million other embarrassing facts I quite wish he didn't… some of the things he knew weren't all too pleasant, I mean seriously the kid knew exactly when I had my period, who I had my first kiss with, (OK he should know that one it was him) what kinds of food I would and would not eat… I won't bore you with the mile long list, I'm sure you don't want to know. "Where exactly are we going, Jayboy?" I ask impatiently. "We're going to find Stacy and you're gonna tell him how you feel, keep your pregnant panties on we'll be there in a few seconds Kitty. God, you are so light, even with that baby. You need to eat more." He uses that nickname all too much, not that I'm complaining. Most people call me Katie or Kat or when they're serious, Kathryn, but not Kathy, 'cause that would get me mixed up with Tony's sister, who totally rocks by the way. 'Course they all have their silly nicknames for me. Tony calls me Ryn or Killer, Sid calls me Baby Kate, (there's a joke behind that one) Jay calls me Kitty or one of his many pet terms, or Wildkat when I've lost my temper, (I'd rather not talk about that one) and Stacy has taken to calling me Kitty, Kit, or Ryn-Ryn. I've also got other random nicknames from countless other people like Chica, Love, Baby, etc. but I can't remember most of them at the moment.

--

(**A/N**: Ok I realize it's short but I have to keep some degree of suspense or you'll grow bored with me... I'll get some more up soon. I swear.)

Pepsi-Cola


	2. I'd Love You To Want Me

What If I Said

DISCLAIMER: Once again characters from Lords of Dogtown do not belong to me.  
Only Kathryn, Shoe, Racecar, their parents, and Jackson do.

**What If I Said**

_Chapter 2:  
I'd Love You To Want Me,  
The Way That I Want You_

I know where he's going now. He's going to the elementary, the old closed one. Stacy always goes there for some reason. I expect to see him zooming around on his skateboard, beautiful blonde hair flying around wildly, and am taken by surprise when I spot him sitting on a swing staring at the ground. "See what you've done to him, you made him sad. Go make him feel better." Jay prompts, gently pushing me toward him. I sit on a swing next to him. "So this is what you do on Saturdays nowadays, sit in abandoned elementary school playgrounds and stare at your feet? That's kinda boring. I half expected you to do at least do something a little more creative. Constructive." I try to cheer him up. I'm staring at my pigeon-toed feet, which I hate like I hate the rest of me at this moment for running away like that. "Well usually I eat when I'm depressed but it's too loud at Smokies. So I thought maybe I'd go to work, but Venice Noodle was too crowded and demanding. And Zephyr was too…too everything. So my last pitiful resort was here. I went here for Elementary." He's rambling. "I know, I was there. Do you ramble when you're nervous, too?" I can tell that's why he's doing it. "Uh, yeah. You noticed?" He's smiling. I love his smile. His smile makes me smile. Now we're both smiling like idiots. Two Cheshire cats.

"I really do like you, Kathryn. You-you're a really great person. You're pretty, smart… really talented. I've seen your art, mostly what's in Mr. Whitman's studio. And what Skip stole – er, _borrowed _from Sid, those sketches are great. I didn't know you had enough patience to sit there and sketch me skating, what with me moving around and messing up so much. And Tony's hair, if you can call it that, I didn't think anyone could draw that mess. Plus you got Jay's angry expressions like it was drawing a flower or something. You're amazing." That's really what he thinks? "No Stacy, I'm not what you want. I'm a stupid, pregnant, ugly sixteen year old with no sense not to get knocked up at a party whose mother abandoned her and whose father beats her. I'm not what you need. I'll just get in your way and ruin your life and you'll end up hating me forever. I'm completely worthless." Tears are welling up in my eyes and this time there's nothing I can do to stop them. "Baby, you know that's not true. You're not stupid, you're beautiful, and you have more common sense than a hoarde of brainiacs. I could never hate you. You are worth more than anything anyone could offer me. I need you, I want you, and I'm willing to do all I can to support you. I love you. Why didn't you tell me you were having a baby?" Wow, I never knew that. And I don't know why I didn't just tell him in the first place. I'm looking at his hair. Now that I think about it, I look like a guy more than most of the guys do. Not all of them, but most of 'em. My hair's black and only about cheek length, maybe with a few choppy pieces to my chin. But now I'm just going on and on, so back to our current situation…

"Umm… I love you too, but you don't have to say all that. The baby might not even make it anyway. I've been sick, and the doctor doesn't know if it'll be affected. I'm not even sure I want it. I couldn't take care of it without my father and he's already gonna kill me when he finds out about it and then where'll we be? But you probably don't care about that, my problems or my shit life." I don't know why I told him all that crap. I'm swinging a bit now, and I feel torn. This baby is not what I planned when I went to that Zephyr party. He stops the swing and kneels in front of me, lifting my dry but substantially tear-stained face to look at him. "Kitty, I really do care. None of that business with your dad or the baby matters to me. If you have it, I'll still love you. If it doesn't make it, I'll still love you. And if your father hurts his only daughter, I'll call the cops on him. But I'll still love you. No matter what happens. I'm never gonna let you go." Oh god, our faces are so close, and I'm closing my stormy gray eyes so full of trouble, seen so much, and we're kissing again. The sky is clouding and now the rain is falling on us but we're not paying attention. Our kiss deepens and my hands are shaking, one tangled in blonde, the other intertwined with his to steady it. There's a curtain of blonde and black around our faces and his free hand is resting on my stomach, but it's not uncomfortable, it makes me feel so safe. We're soaked to the sky by the rain pouring down from the sky and there's a soft breeze blowing the old willow tree leaves around, limbs swaying behind us to the beat of the raindrops. My eyes open and glace out of the corner to see lightning split the sky in the distance followed by a crash of roaring thunder, causing me to jump as we break apart and run for Jay's apartment 'cause it's close and he won't give a damn if we visit.

--

(**A/N**: I know it's short but they'll get longer I promise... I hope... runs from hoarde of people wielding sporks)

Pepsi-Cola


	3. Which Father

DISCLAIMER: Still don't own LoDt

DISCLAIMER: Still don't own LoDt. Only my original characters. 'Jackie Blue' belongs to the Ozark Mountain Daredevils.

(**A/N**: Updating specially for xHappyHardcorex, my lurverly reviewer, and anyone else who has taken time from their busy (or not so busy) schedule to read this fic.)

**What If I Said**

_Chapter 3: Which Father_

We're running hand in hand when we race up the steps and through the apartment door, dripping on the carpet. "Hey, you two're getting our floor all wet. What the hell were you doing anyway? It's pouring and you're both soaked." Poor Jay, so oblivious. "We were at the park, stupid, and it started raining. What do you _think_ we were doing?" Oddly enough he looks hopeful, but it doesn't last long. "I dunno, inhaling each other's noses maybe?" "Yeah. _That's_ it." I say sarcastically. "Sarcasm, huh? Musta been good. Why so silent, Blushy? Thought you woulda been stoked that I set you two up. What gives, Mr. Superstar-Athlete-ness?" Now he's just being silly. "Superstar-Athlete-ness?" Stacy snorts indignantly. "You're a genius, Jay." "That's the first and last time you're even called remotely smart. Except if you're being called smart-mouthed."

Our little spat is entertaining to Stacy, who just stands there and watches, laughing. "You're the smart-mouthed one, _Kathryn. Marie."_ He knows how much I hate my middle name. I lunge at him, but then remember there's a tiny person inside my stomach who probably couldn't take being squished too well. "Careful, you wouldn't wanna smoosh that kid like a bug. Who's the father, anyway?"

Oh no, the father question. I've been trying to avoid that one, I hardly know myself. "The baby is not a bug. It does not even remotely resemble a bug. Well, maybe a little. But that's not the idea of it. And… I think it's Jackson or… maybe Ruml. I don't know, it was dark, and they look alike. But I'm almost sure it's Jackson." I'm trying to look at my feet, but my stomach gets in the way. What a bother. "OK OK you don't have to get snippy with me Katie. So it doesn't look like a bug. But do you know if it's a boy or a girl? Ain't there tests to find out who the father is?" Truthfully, I'm not sure I want to know who the father is. It's kind of scary, to think that my child would have a father like Wentzle Ruml or Jackson Ramon. I'm only half paying attention. The other half of my conscience is concentrating on the radio, blasting the first bars of 'Jackie Blue', my favourite song. "Hmm? The doctor thinks it's a little girl. And I hadn't thought of a paternity test, but you need the guy to determine that… either of you seen Shoe or Race anywhere lately? I never see them at home anymore when I'm there." I'm trying to get him off the subject of babies and unknown fathers.

Shoe and Racecar are my brothers. Geez, am I the only one with a decent name in my family? First you have Shoe Micah, then you've got Racecar Poe, and then Me, Kathryn Marie Anna. My mom's name was Nymph Aqua, and my father's name is Carson Flame. I'm the only normal one, only I'm becoming less and less normal every day. I mean, look where I am. Sixteen and waiting for a kid to pop out of me.

I'm sitting down on the couch and helping myself to Jay's Ramen Noodles which were sitting on the side table. "Hey, I was gonna eat those." Jay protests. "You're not the pregnant one." I retort. "Thank god for that, you're bad enough. Lemme do an impression." He answers, shoving a pillow up his shirt and pacing back and forth in front of the couch with a hand on his back, making fun of me. "Oh Lord I'm gonna explode if I don't get this puppy out soon." He's whining in a high pitched voice. "Hey! I don't sound like that. And I'm not that fat, do you want me to get an eating disorder? " I ask, chucking another pillow at him while finishing off the rest of the noodles. "That's highly unlikely." Stacy is laughing hysterically. "What're you laughin' at?" I hit him over the head with the pillow. "I gotta go to see the doctor tomorrow, either you bums wanna come?" I'm serious now. "Why not? Maybe we can persuade Jackson to come and he can get a whatever-test done and see if it's his too." Stacy offers.

Love y'all

Pepsi-Cola


	4. Truth

DISCLAIMER: Though it would totally rock, I do not own LoDT characters, only the ones you don't recognize

DISCLAIMER: Though it would totally rock, I do not own LoDT characters, only the ones you don't recognize.

**What If I Said **

_Chapter 4: Truth_

I made it home safely without any run-ins with my father; I guess he was out drinking. So I simply went to bed remembering my 11:00 appointment with the baby doctor the following day. I shouldn't have any problems with Jay and Stacy not being awake, cuz they're usually up at 5:30 in the morning for surfing anyway. Insane surfers.

I woke up early; my father was on a business trip. I was getting harder to hide the baby bump. He'd find out soon, I hope after she's – or he's – born. I'm not hiding it today. Today's the day everyone finds out the truth. And if someone tells my father, which I doubt they will since no one likes him or his disagreeable, drunken temper, I don't care. I'll leave if he finds out. I'm wearing a form-fitting black t-shirt and gray sweats. I head for Zephyr, my black Vans slapping the pavement. Along the way I meet up with Sid, who almost collides with me before skating along side me, trying to pick me up. I don't think he recognizes me. "Hey babe, bun in the oven?" He's so dumb sometimes. "Sid. Shut up. Of course I'm pregnant. Did you not hear Jay announce that to the entire city yesterday? You're so thick headed sometimes. All the time. Most of the time. You get the point." Some people aren't very good at recognizing others when pregnant. "Baby Kate, you're having a baby… how ironic. Sorry. Forgot." We're almost there; I can tell the shop is bangin' today, even at 10:30 AM. I start chewing on my thumbnail, worried about how some people will react. I drop my hand before I eat it completely and enter the shop, hopping up on the counter up front. Sid goes into the back, I guess where everyone is, cuz in about two minutes people were streaming out of there like ants, shouting and hollering like banshees. "Ay, chica mamacita-to-be, what's shakin' in baby land?" I swear that boy is as Spanish as I am Cherokee. It's amazing I haven't picked up entire Spanish vocabulary for all the years I've known him. "I wouldn't know yet Tony; I ain't been to the doctor yet." Now I'm just teasing him. "Coulda fooled me, Kitty." Leave it to Jay to be a smart-ass. "You of all people should know." I say, slinging my arm around his shoulders. "Congrats, girl, you are awesome." Peggy pipes in." Thanks, Peg, you're great too." "Hey, I'm not the one carrying a kid the size of a watermelon around for nine months. And you're still tiny. You going to the clinic today?" "Idiot here told the entire world, yeah?" I'm referring to Jay, but of course you knew that. "Well ya know, my mouth is part of my charm." I snort derisively at this. "You're full of it, boy." "Don't I know it." "Ok, that's enough out of you two, break it up. Get off my girl, Jayboy, go find your own. You guys ready yet?" Stacy appears in the doorway, Jackson trailing behind him.

"I'm real sorry about the baby, Katie." I know it's weird, but if the baby ends up being his, I'll be thankful. I don't blame him at all; I was the one who was drunk and offering. "It's ok, Jackie. You didn't know I was drunk, besides, there's a chance it's not yours." I should be mad at him, for taking advantage of me. Then again I asked him to do what he did. I should hate him. But I don't. I'm thankful. It woke me up to responsibility for my actions, blah blah blah. Yeah right.

"Jackson, you are the father." The obstetrician tells us. I'm relieved. I would have been tempted to murder Wentzle Ruml if it was his baby instead of Jacks. "Jackie." I hug him. Then I hug Stacy and Jay pats me on the head. "Jacks, you don't have to sign the birth certificate if you don't want to." I want him to know that. "Dr. Jeanson, is it really a little girl?" I hope it is. I don't think I can stand another boy; there are enough of those around here already. "Yes, they are girls." "They?" "Yes, the twins are both girls." "Twins?! I'm having twins. Oh my god, Stacy I'm having twins." I'm almost hysterical I'm actually hyperventilating. "Multiple births are common in teenage mothers. Your pregnancy is normal; both fetuses are healthy and kicking. One was hiding behind the other, I didn't see her before." The doctor tells me. "As long as they both have ten fingers and ten toes and one head each."

More out soon

Pepsi-Cola


	5. Ain't Running On Empty No More

DISCLAIMER: (I'm getting tired of this

DISCLAIMER: Still don't own it, but I'd kill just to own Stacy…. Nah just kidding I only own Kathryn, Shoe, Racecar, their parents, and Jackson.

(**A/N**: I know it's been a while, my grandma's been prepping for a rotary cuff surgery being carried out today so I've been trying to not think about it so I'm trying to add to some of my full stories to get my mind off it.

Since I'm not a doctor nor have I ever had a baby, I don't really know what happens so don't kill me if it ain't right. Peace!)

**What If I Said**

_Chapter 5: Ain't Running On Empty No More_

2 Months Later, or 8 mo. Along

I'm being rushed to the hospital in Stacy's car. It's a month earlier than the due date, but I guess that's what happens when your father finds out you're pregnant. And he's the last person in the city to know. "What happened to you, Kitty…" I want to know why Jay is sitting next to me patting my head. "Carson pushed me and I fell. It brought the babies on early and it HURTS. Stacy Peralta, hurry UP!" I'm practically screaming. "Kitty calm down we'll get pulled over if Stace goes any faster." "Shut UP Jay, since when do you care if we fucking get pulled over? If we do I'll scream at the cop that I'm having two goddamn kids over here!" Now I am screaming. We get to the hospital un-pulled over and Stacy is running frantically inside, forgetting that I am sitting in a car having children. Me and Jay follow him with some difficulty. He's at the front desk. "My girlfriend is in labour with twins and they're a month early and they were brought on by a fall." It's 10:00 on August 23. There's hardly anyone in here tonight.

It's not 12:15 in the morning on August 24 and I'm holding twin baby girls with duck-down blonde hair and smoldering charcoal eyes. They're so tiny, only about 5 lbs. each. It's strange. Desiree Miracle was born at exactly 12:00 midnight, on the cusp of astrological signs Leo and Virgo. Isis Destiny followed at 12:04, a full-blooded Virgo girl. The birth certificates name me as the mother and Stacy as the father. This is odd. I'm not sure if I'll ever gain the courage to tell them who their real father is.

Sixteen and I've seen a lot. I'm an official mamacita, as Tony would say. "I guess we should probably get married. What do you think?" Stacy asks, lacing our fingers together. "I reckon we better now that we've got two babies to take care of." And I think we will. My thoughts are interrupted by Jay, Tony, Sid, and Peggy bursting through the door like crazed maniacs. "Hey girl, they're so cute, they look just like you. How did you do it?" Peggy's practically jumping up and down on the end of my bed, and I am thoroughly confused. My hair is blacker than a California midnight, theirs is about as white as a cloud. Only our eyes are the same. "I dunno but it hurt like hell, lemme tell you." I'm kinda tired. Everyone's kinda talking, one after another. "Ay chica, you done good. Jacks was real worried about you yesterday." "Baby Kate, what did you name them? I can't even tell them apart." I think I said this before, Sid is so dumb sometimes. Of course their own mother can tell her kids apart. "Their names are Desiree Miracle and Isis Destiny and they are easier to tell apart than a brown egg and a white egg. Desiree has a birth scar next to her eye and Isis has freckles on her nose. It's really not that hard to tell them apart, Isis is louder and cries more." "How do you feel?" Jay is acting very strange. "Who are you and what have you done with my smart-ass Jayboy? I half expected you to be cracking jokes off the top of your big sarcastic blonde head by now. What's up?" I know he hates it when I tease him. "Nothin'." His fists are jammed into his pockets and now I know something is wrong. "Guys, can I talk to Jay for a second?" I'm determined to find out what his problem is. When a guy who is naturally a sarcastic joker and suddenly he's quiet as a mouse and just about as active, you know there's something going on. Everyone left the room and the nurses took the twins to put on display so everyone could see them.

"Ok, spill. We're alone; no one will be able to make fun of you. You look like someone died." I don't want him to feel bad. I think in a way he's kinda jealous. "You and Stacy are gonna take your kids, get married, and move far away from this shithole and leave me here alone." I have never in all my life seen him this way. I've decided I'm just gonna say what I have to. "Jay Adams, I am your best friend. I tell you everything. I've known you since we were six years old. I'm not going anywhere just because I've had kids and am going to get married. Besides, where the hell would we go? We have no money. What are we going to do, walk 500 miles and stop anywhere, build a house out of mud and live there for the rest of our boring lives? The only place I'm possibly going is an apartment, since I can't exactly go home. So quit being so damn stubborn and be happy I'm not in a freaking girls' home. You're practically a third brother. There's no reason to be jealous of two newborns. I love you like family, you're as close to being an uncle as Shoe and Racecar." It's weird for him; I guess I thought he'd be wired about this. I don't really know what I was thinking. "I don't know why I'm jealous. I guess I wanna protect you from the world or something. Kitty, I'm happy for you." I hug him. "You really need a haircut, Jayboy."

--

Don't hate on the author!

Peace Out

Pepsi-Cola


	6. Married and Afterward

What If I Said

**What If I Said**

_Chapter 6: Married and Afterward_

I'm getting married today, on the eve of my 17th birthday. I'm sitting at a dressing table at the back of the church, staring into a mirror as I put on my rosary. My dress isn't conventional; it's a vibrant neon green three-quarter sleeved gown with a deep V-back. It's very simple, paired with my black heels and a white lily comb sweeping my bangs back from my face. I think it's kinda weird to be getting married before senior prom. I'm chewing on my bottom lip when Stacy's mom walks in, Peggy behind her toting Desiree. And Kathy Alva is behind them, holding Isis. Peggy's my maid of honor. "This is the last time i wear a dress until I get married. But don't think I'm not happy for you!" She says. The twins are giggling in their baby pink flower girl dresses. My brother Shoe walks in. He's acting as my escort, since my father refused to attend. It's all so surreal. People criticize me for being married with children before I even turn eighteen like I'm a bad person. The don't even know what it's like, how hard it's been. I mean, the twins are almost a year old. It's late July. Diapers cost a fortune, and there's food, clothes, toys… we don't even have an apartment or a flat. We live with his parents, for god's sake. All four of us living out of one bedroom. I go to the skate comps, the girls love it. Still talk to Jackson. He's here today. All the rest of my delinquent friends are here, trying their hardest to stay under control and keep from hurting certain other people or ahem _harassing the organ lady. _("Quit it Jay, I mean it!")

Married. We're married. It's odd. I like it. This wasn't what I had planned a year ago when my school counselor asked me how I decided I was gonna live my life, but I think it's better. I hate being predictable anyway.

One morning about two years later I find myself sitting on the side of Sid's pool with my legs dangling over the edge, holding Desiree in my lap watching a three year old Isis sitting on the back of Stacy's skateboard hugging his leg ferociously. He's only skating in circles, but to her it's the thrill of her short life. It's so trivial, but it's her whole world. Sid's inner ear problem turned out to be a cancerous brain tumor, none of us would believe it until we saw it. His father drained their pool like Sid had always wanted to and said the boys could skate whenever. Sid was in a wheelchair. Sometimes I find myself asking why. I don't understand how an innocent person can be chosen at random from 10 billion just to be slapped in the face with a life-threatening disease. Sid has never done anything to deserve this fate. He never killed anyone. They told him he might make it to twenty-one.

Desiree wriggles off my lap, running at the newly arrived Jay, who scoops her up. I never expected him to be so good with kids. "Skate wit me, Jay-Jay." She commands like a mini drill sergeant. That was the first word she said, 'skate', mind you. Isis's first word was equally strange. She said 'surf'. Well now we know what they'll likely be doing for the rest of their natural-born lives. Isis has changed positions and now she's sitting in Sid's lap. "Hewwo Silly Squidly. Where you get ouchie?" She asks, poking at the stitches on his head. We didn't have the heart to tell them what was happening. I laugh at her nickname for him. She giggles. "I make funny." Instantly she's forgotten about the stitches.

"Good job, keep going, put your arms out just like that." Jay instructs. That kid has changed so much. He isn't really competing anymore, only surfing maybe a little, getting into fights a bit, (but honestly who doesn't?) in a gang… but around Des and Isis it's like he falls back four years, out of constant seriousness, into that stupid young teenager mode like he used to all the time. Isis is standing sideways on the middle of the board, wobbling with both her short little arms out. She pushes off the pavement with her tiny Converse-clad foot, slowly rolling toward the grass. From my point of view it's weird to see my kids playing with the people I practically grew up with.

Stacy is starting a company. Still hasn't cut the hair, partly because I would never let him anyway. It seems like sometimes he's the only one who keeps me sane. Both my brothers grew personalities and moved on to bigger, better places. Shoe lives in L.A. with his girlfriend and Racecar moved himself, his wife Maggie, and their son Blaise to Hawaii, the lucky bugger, to work as a chef at a fancy hotel in Oahu. Neither skate anymore, but Blaise is a great surfer for a seven year old. My father moved himself to Oregon, I hear he's raising cattle and growing his own weed. And as for me, well I work at Venice Noodle Company, the laundromat, and as a weekend babysitter for the neighborhood. Eventually I want to go to college and start my own independent photography studio. Looking back, had I never fallen for Stacy as a pregnant 16 year old, I wouldn't know the wonderful life I have now.

Society couldn't keep me down; my father couldn't keep me down; nothing can keep me down. I look at myself now, and I know that whatever happens, I'll always be loved. Loved by my friends, loved by my husband, and loved my kids. Maybe one day I'll show up on the cover of a magazine. But who knows how the future will go anyway? You never know what may happen if tomorrow never comes…


	7. And The Rain Came Down, A Poem

Not Really A Chapter, Just A Poem

**Not Really A Chapter, Just A Poem**

_(A/N: This poem was originally written to go with the story, I've only just found the original copy. I thought I'd post it, even though I haven't written on this in ages and technically it's complete. Dedicated to David, my only love.)_

And the Rain Came Down

The sky seemed to break open;

And the rain came down,

On the heads of two people

In a field, lying on the ground.

Brought together by destiny,

Held together by love.

The thunder crashed;

The lightning struck above.

Huddled together for warmth,

They ran for their lives,

Though they were in no danger.

The shelter they reached cradled them;

Raindrops pounding on the roof

Gently lulling them to sleep

In each other's arms.

And the rain came down.

The angry sky gave way

To the soft melody of after rain.

They soon emerged from their safety

To dance wildly in the mist,

Wind blowing their hair.

Turned to each other smiling,

Soaked to the skin.

Kissed with lips of burning passion,

Sending shivers down their spines;

Sweet and slowly insistent.

And the rain came down…

And the rain came down…

And the rain came down…

And the rain came down…

And the rain…

Stopped.


End file.
